The Park University Women's Volleyball team bounced back from the loss against Wayland Baptist on Saturday with an impressive win over Ottawa University in four sets (25-19, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22). The Pirates coasted in set one, but the Braves gave the Pirates all they could handle in the last three sets and proved to be too much for Ottawa as the Braves tried to pull off the upset. Trinity Iverson led the way for the Pirates with 13 kills, followed by Indi Zetic nd Kennedy Altic with nine apiece. The Pirates tallied seven service aces as a team and dominated the kill ratio 58-38.
How it happened
The Pirates started strong in the first set and jumped out to a 7-3 lead behind four kills by four different Pirates. The Braves would refocus, however, and go on a five-point rally to take a one-point lead,8-7. After a battle pushed the set to a 14-13 Pirates lead, the service aces came into play for Park, as two service aces, one by Isadora Dias and another from Elisa Dalla Pozza, put wind behind the Pirates' sails and expanded the lead to 17-14. Ottawa got within two at 20-18, but as the Pirates have done a few times already this season, a late four-point run put the first set out of reach for the Braves, and the Pirates claimed a 1-0 match lead (25-20).
Service aces were the early story of set two, with the Pirates claiming a 5-1 lead behind three of them, including back-to-back aces from Isadora Dias. Park maintained the advantage, but the Braves showed true fight, and a late five-point run put the Braves up 21-18. The Pirates ended the Braves' momentum there, as they quickly got three points behind a pair of kills and a Brave attack error. After an Ottawa timeout, the set ended up at 24-24, but Park got the last laugh, as back-to-back kills from India Zetic and Elisa Dallas Pozza finished out the second set and gave the Pirates a much-needed 2-0 match lead (26-24).
Set three was deadlocked, as neither team ever had more than a two-point lead, and the set was even at 11-11 with 22 points played. The Braves took advantage this time, as a three-point streak and another 4-point run gave the Braves a comfortable 19-13 lead behind attackers Bailee Nickel and Kira Cherry. In the end, the lead was too much to overcome, and the Pirates fell in set three (25-19).
Set four started great for Park. The Pirates took a 5-3 lead after two kills and three Brave attack errors put them in front. Again, the Braves fought back nd forced four straight Pirate errors to capture a two-point lead at 7-5. That's when Trinity Iverson took over, recording three kills over the following seven points, with Park winning six, to recapture the lead at 11-8. After blossoming the lead to 15-9 behind a pair of kills from Kennedy Altic, the Pirates seemed to have the set and match won, but the Braves again wouldn't go away. Highlighted by two service aces, the Braves turned a 15-9 deficit into an 18-17 lead and had all the momentum sloping to their side. But as the Pirates have proved this season, late runs are a normal thing. The Pirates won four straight points from 19-20 to 23-20 behind who else but Trinity Iverson, who had two kills over the four points. A fiery kill from Isadora Dias put the set to match point, and an attack error sealed the deal, with the Pirates battling out set four to a 25-22 win.
